Is the Biblical Book of Daniel a Forgery From Alexander the Great’s Era?

Daniel’s Answer to the King, Briton Riviere, 1890. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

The Biblical Book of Daniel was supposedly written by the prophet Daniel successful Babylon during an epoch successful which the metropolis was conquered by the Persians. While galore scholars bash inactive clasp to this accepted view, others present judge it is simply a forgery from the epoch of Alexander the Great oregon adjacent later. But what does the grounds really show?

When was the Bible’s Book of Daniel supposedly written?

According to the Book of Daniel itself, the writer was Daniel the prophet. He was a subordinate of the royal people of Jerusalem. A decennary earlier the destruction of Jerusalem, the Babylonians took Daniel and galore others into exile successful Babylon.

There, Daniel served arsenic a prophet of the God of the Israelites. He besides began to constitute the publication bearing his name. Daniel’s vocation continued for galore decades thereafter. The Book of Daniel documents events involving his vocation up until conscionable aft Cyrus‘ conquest of Babylon successful 539 BC.

Therefore, according to the Bible itself, the Book of Daniel was written passim the archetypal fractional of the sixth period BC.

Is the Book of Daniel a aboriginal forgery?

However, this accepted presumption has travel nether occurrence successful the modern era. Many scholars contiguous judge the Book of Daniel is really a forgery written successful Alexander the Great’s empire, oregon perchance adjacent later. What is the ground for this?

Essentially, determination are 2 main reasons. The archetypal is that galore scholars person argued that the Book of Daniel contains assorted humanities errors. These supposedly amusement that it cannot beryllium a modern account.

The superior illustration of this is the individuality of the king of Babylon astatine the clip of the fall. According to historians, the king of Babylon, erstwhile conquered by Cyrus, was King Nabonidus. However, successful the Book of Daniel, Nabonidus does not appear. Instead, the king of Babylon is simply a definite Belshazzar.

The 2nd large crushed is that determination are definite features successful the publication which supposedly acceptable the Hellenistic Era amended than the epoch successful which Daniel would person lived. Examples see the vocabulary. Notably, the Book of Daniel contains immoderate Greek words, which seems highly antithetic for a publication written successful Babylon centuries anterior to the conquests of Alexander the Great.

Is the Book of Daniel truly historically inaccurate?

Despite the information that this is simply a reasonably fashionable viewpoint successful modern times, not each scholars agree. Many inactive clasp to the accepted presumption that the Book of Daniel was not a forgery but was written by Daniel successful the sixth period BC.

Archaeology has a ample bearing connected this issue. As antecedently mentioned, 1 of the main reasons the Book of Daniel could person been forged is the inclusion of a seemingly-fictional king named Belshazzar successful spot of the humanities King Nabonidus.

However, archaeology has present revealed that Belshazzar did exist. He was the lad of King Nabonidus. Contemporary tablets amusement Nabonidus spent a sizeable magnitude of clip extracurricular of Babylon. This includes, specifically, the play successful which Cyrus of Persia conquered the city.

These tablets uncover that portion Nabonidus was away, his lad Belshazzar acted arsenic king. In fact, 1 transition includes the connection that Nabonidus “entrusted the kingship” to Belshazzar. Therefore, the depiction of Belshazzar arsenic king successful the Book of Daniel is not inaccurate.

Furthermore, though Nabonidus does not straight look successful the Book of Daniel, Belshazzar offers to reward Daniel by making him the 3rd astir almighty idiosyncratic successful the kingdom. Why did helium not pronounce him the 2nd astir influential? Evidently, it was due to the fact that Belshazzar himself was lone the second, not the first, astir powerful, helium being taxable to his begetter Nabonidus.

A depiction of the demolition of Jerusalem by the Babylonians soon aft Daniel was taken into exile, 1896. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Do Greek words successful the Book of Daniel beryllium it is simply a forgery?

What astir the statement that the Greek successful the Book of Daniel proves it was a forgery written successful the Hellenistic Era? In the past, scholars argued that the Book of Daniel contained galore Greek words. Now, linguists person determined that astir of them are really Persian words and not Greek astatine all.

Given the adjacent connections betwixt Babylon and Persia successful Daniel’s era, this is not surprising. Nevertheless, determination besides are immoderate genuine Greek words successful the Bible’s account. However, it appears that these are constricted to the names of 3 philharmonic instruments.

Does this amusement that the Book of Daniel indispensable person been a forgery from the Hellenistic Era? Surely, if it was truly the merchandise of Alexander the Great’s empire, past we would expect far much than the specified 3 method Greek words successful the full book.

Rather than suggesting that the Book of Daniel was written successful the Hellenistic Era, this points towards the other conclusion.

In presumption of however immoderate fig of Greek words could person recovered their mode into the biblical account, we request to retrieve that the Greeks already had interactions with the Middle Eastern empires agelong earlier Alexander the Great’s time.

For example, arsenic aboriginal arsenic the eighth period BC, the Assyrians fought against the Greeks connected the coasts of Anatolia. Greeks besides composed portion of the service that fought against Nebuchadnezzar successful Egypt soon aft Jerusalem was destroyed. Very plausibly, Greeks could person been brought backmost to Babylon arsenic slaves during specified conflicts.

This is perfectly compatible with the tiny fig of Greek words recovered successful the text.

Evidence that the Book of Daniel was not a aboriginal forgery

There is astatine slightest 1 beardown portion of grounds that argues against the decision that the Book of Daniel was a forgery from the Hellenistic Era. As noted above, the relationship accurately presents Belshazzar arsenic the reigning king of Babylon astatine the clip of its conquest by the Persians.

Significantly, Belshazzar is not mentioned successful immoderate surviving non-Biblical source. It appears that aboriginal historians, adjacent those from Babylon itself, specified arsenic Berossus, simply forgot astir him. The conquest of Babylon is described by past historians, but these accounts ne'er marque notation of Belshazzar.

The closest illustration that we find is Herodotus‘ relationship of this event. He does notation that Nabonidus had a lad who was successful Babylon, but helium does not notation to him arsenic Belshazzar. In fact, helium calls him by the aforesaid sanction arsenic his father. Xenophon appears to marque notation of Belshazzar without providing immoderate sanction astatine all.

Later accounts simply omit notation of this humanities fig entirely. Therefore, if the Book of Daniel was a forgery written successful the Hellenistic Era, however would the writer person known astir King Belshazzar?

This is 1 of the main reasons wherefore galore scholars contiguous judge the accepted presumption that the Book of Daniel was so written successful the sixth period BC arsenic claimed.